Q. Will the garbage and recycling picked up from my home continue to be sorted at the transfer station?

A. The new residential curbside recycling program will change the way PGS handles residential waste and recycling. All material placed in the recycling carts will be sorted. Material in the refuse cart will go directly to the landfill and will not be sorted.

Q. Can I use a plastic bag for my green cart?

A. No. Plastic bags or any other content that is not compostable damage an entire green waste load; forcing the content to go to the landfill.

Q. If a product has the three arrows symbol on it, doesn't that mean it's recyclable?

A. The three arrows symbol is not an indication that an item can be recycled. The recycling symbol is unregulated, meaning that no authority controls who places the symbol on what product, be it recyclable or not. The plastics industry uses the recycling symbol as an "in house" coding system to identify resin types.

The recycling symbol, or chasing arrows, is found on most plastic products and identifies the type of plastic resin used in the product.

It is important to follow the guidelines issued by the City and PGS, not the labeling on the product. Technically, almost everything manufactured could be recyclable if there was a reliable end-buyer for the material. The existence of a recycling market is typically dependent upon a manufacturer buying the product back for remanufacture. When an industry distributes a product and then uses virgin materials to manufacture new products, it creates material without a recycling market. In order for a material to be recyclable, there has to be a demand for it on the market, and that's what determines what can and cannot be accepted.

Q. Do I need to rinse out recyclables prior to placement in the recycling cart?

A. Recyclables need not be rinsed.

Q. How can I keep the shredded paper from making a mess in the street if I place it in the recycling bin with out a bag?

A. Using a paper bag to dispose of shredded contents is a simple way to secure shredded paper in your recycling container.

Q. The soy milk and juice wax containers I purchase have a plastic lid, where should those go?

A. Place all wax containers in the green waste bin. The screw cap lids should be placed in the refuse cart.

Q. What should I do with plastics that do not have a #1-7 symbol?

A.Only plastics with the symbols #1-7 should be placed in the recycling cart. Plastic lids, water bottle lids and unmarked plastics are not recyclable and should be placed in the trash cart. Alternative disposal options could be available on www.earth911.com

Q. What are the guidelines for cart placement?

A. Carts must be placed in the street with the wheels at the curb
or road edge. Please leave three feet between carts and avoid obstacles
such as low trees and carports.

Q. What is the holiday service schedule? How does it affect my service
day?

A. Pleasanton Garbage Service collects garbage every weekday
except Christmas and New Years. On years when these holidays fall on a
weekday, your garbage collection will be postponed to next day. For example,
Christmas Day (falls on Monday) collections will be delayed one day for the entire week through Saturday.

Q. I have more garbage than will fit in my cart. What do I do?

A. Call Pleasanton Garbage Service customer service at 846-2042
at least one day before your regular collection day to schedule extra
collection service. Place all extra garbage in thick plastic bags. There
is a per bag charge that will be added to your quarterly bill. Do not
place overflow garbage in cans or boxes. Extras that have not been called
into our office in advance will not be collected.

Q. How to reach us?

A. Our office is available by telephone Monday through
Friday from 8:00am to 12:00 pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm. (closed 12:00pm to
1:00pm daily for lunch)
Call (925) 846-2042 or email info@pleasantongarbageservice.com.

Q. How do I dispose of Household Hazardous Waste?

A. Leftover paints, pesticides, automotive fluids, rechargeable
batteries and other common items that we have in our household can be
harmful and hazardous and are not allowed to be disposed of in your trash.
The Alameda County Environmental Health Department currently operates
three drop-off facilities. For more information on the proper disposal
of household hazardous waste, facility locations, operating dates and
hours, call the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Program at 800-606-6606
or visit http://www.household-hazwaste.org.

Q. What is E Waste and what do I do with it?

A. Ever wonder what to do with your old television, computer, monitor, VCR, printer, fax machine or cell-phone? Well, these common household electronics often referred to as E Waste, cannot be placed in your trash and have been banned from landfill disposal. You may bring these items to the Pleasanton Transfer Station, located at 3110 Busch Rd. We have partnered with e-Recycling of California (ERC) an environmentally responsible recycling company. Please let the gatekeeper know if you are disposing of any of these items and you will be directed to a separate drop off area. Fees are based on the item(s) brought to the Transfer Station and cannot be quoted over the phone. For your convenience the Pleasanton Transfer Station is open 7 days a week from 8 AM to 4 PM.